Safety organization unveils Safe Kids Mobile Education Unit

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COLUMBIA — Safe Kids Columbia unveiled its new Safe Kids Mobile Education Unit Saturday. Children also learned about safety while playing fun games and bouncing on inflatables.

The University of Missouri Children's Hospital hosted the fifth annual Safe Kids Day. It was a free carnival style event at the Hearnes Center.

The booths at the event offered tips on injury prevention and child safety, including sports safety and vehicle safety. The first 50 children at the event were fitted to receive a free bike helmet.

Event organizer Sheila Robertson said preventable injuries are the number one killer of children in the United States.

"It's really important for us to educate the families on how to prevent those accidents from happening and the best way to do it is to have a really great event with lots of great activities, and everything is free of course," Robertson said. "It just really encourages everybody to come out."

The Safe Kids Mobile Education Unit was a $25,000 gift from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Missouri.

Robertson said the van will travel to Audrain, Boone, Callaway, Cole, Cooper and Howard counties to provide safety resources and education to families. The van will also visit camps, bike rodeos and other community events throughout the summer.

"I just love being able to educate people and make them safer than what they were before they heard the message," Robertson said.